Tom Brady may have cleared up any worry about his finger on Monday by saying, "It's nothing," but his talk of Joe Montana opened the door for some.
Montana, Brady's childhood idol, left the San Francisco 49ers for Kansas City after being the centerpiece of their 1980s dynasty. While Brady doesn't want to follow in his footsteps, he recognized the possibility in a WEEI interview:
"I'd love to be here my whole career. I have goals and the team has goals and hopefully they're down the same line. But you never know … Joe Montana got traded and Jerry Rice [left the 49ers as a free agent], guys I loved watching out there that really were the best players to ever play at their positions. It's hard to think if those guys are not playing for a team [for their entire careers], why should I ever be excluded from that?"
He also reiterated the importance of fairness in contract negotiations:
"Every player on the team wants . . . to be fairly compensated," Brady said. "So does Logan [Mankins], you know? So did Vince [Wilfork] last year, so do all the other third-year guys, so does Wes [Welker]. I mean, Wes doesn't make a lot of money, but he's one of best receivers in the league. We all want to be compensated fairly, but we also understand we signed contracts and that’s why we’re here to show up and give our best."
Still, Brady said that it's not about entirely about the money, and he doesn't need to be paid as much as Peyton Manning.
"He's going to make a lot, and he deserves it. He's one of the best who every played," Brady said. "It's not about that. When it's all said and done, I'm not going to worry about who made more money. All these other quarterbacks in the league, I don't care what they get. Whatever I get, whatever works for me and the team, that's what it will be. I don't really care who makes more."
Even as the contract situation remains up in the air, Brady is optimistic about the season and committed to New England.
"We've been through a lot. It's been a great relationship since I've been here, with myself and the team and the organization, and I don't want anything to get in the way of that." Brady continued, "They've done everything they could to make this organization the best in the league. We're so well taken care of. It's a great place to play, and obviously, I hope I'm here for a long time. We'll see how it goes."
